PR Lions: Cannes 2024 Decoded

A host of UK-based agencies have been awarded with PR Lions at this year's Festival of Creativity in Cannes.

Edelman UK, alongside LePub, won a Gold for their 'Bar Experience' campaign for Heineken. The work launched a new jobs platform and bar experience certificate that both aimed to tackle unprecedented staff shortages in the hospitality sector.

To add to its Gold, Edelman UK also bagged a Silver for its Dove campaign 'Code My Crown'. In partnership with the Open Source Afro Hair Library, 'Code my Crown' became the world's first comprehensive and free guide for coding textured hair and protective styles in video games. Developed by Black artists and Edelman UK, the guide provided coders and developers with instructions to create more diverse and realistic depictions of Black hairstyles in 3D, promoting better representation in the gaming world. The work has already won a Silver Lion in the Entertainment for Gaming category and a Bronze Lion in the Digital Craft category.

McCann London also took home a Silver PR Lion for is 'Everyday Tactician' campaign for Xbox. The work integrated real and virtual worlds by recruiting Bromley FC's newest management team member via the popular Football Manager game.

Nathan Owolabi, who became Bromley FC's tactician earlier this year, was instrumental in achieving the club's first promotion in its 132-year history. This campaign has already earned a Grand Prix in the Entertainment for Gaming category, two Silver Lions in the Entertainment for Sport and Creative Data categories, and a shortlist spot for the Titanium Lion.

Ogilvy UK, alongside Ogilvy Canada, were also awarded a Silver and a Bronze Lion in the category for their 'Cost of Beauty' work for Dove. The campaign tackled the surge in youth mental health issues caused by toxic beauty content on social media, which affects one in two kids according to new research from the Dove Self-Esteem Project. Ogilvy created a social video highlighting a girl's journey from childhood to her teen years, depicting her struggle with an eating disorder fuelled by social media influencers.

Other UK-based agency winners include One Green Bean for its 'Domino's Heatsuit' campaign.

Golin also won the Grand Prix and a Silver Lion in the category for its Specsavers 'The Misheard Version' campaign. The innovative audiology work used a reimagined version of Rick Astley's classic hit to raise awareness about hearing loss. Featuring amusingly misheard lyrics and actor Rob Brydon's interjection, the campaign cleverly prompts listeners to book a free hearing test, combining entertainment with a call to action for better hearing health.

A total of 50 PR Lions were awarded: one Grand Prix, eight Gold, 16 Silver and 25 Bronze.

Follow Creative Salon's Cannes Lions 2024 coverage through our dedicated content section.